The invention relates to a jet-propelled personal watercraft, and, more particularly, to a personal watercraft having a child""s grab handle.
Jet-propelled personal watercraft have become very popular for recreational boating. Such watercraft are characterized by having a hull containing an internal combustion engine for powering the watercraft, a deck portion providing a passenger area with controls operable by an operator in the passenger area, and a raised, longitudinally extending seat adapted to accommodate one or more riders seated in straddle fashion on the seat. The engine powers a jet propulsion unit mounted in the bottom rear portion of the hull, the jet propulsion unit including a steerable water discharge nozzle. The controls include a set of generally transversely extending handlebars operatively connected to the steerable water discharge nozzle to facilitate steering of the watercraft by the operator.
Personal watercraft are intended to be operated by adults, but sometimes an adult will wish to ride with a child seated in front of him or her. In the past personal watercraft have not provided any additional handles or other structure (besides the normal handlebars, etc.) for such a child to grasp. Some riders have attached flexible straps (such as rope, garden hose, nylon straps, or the like) at convenient locations (such as the handlebars) for such a child to grasp. To date, however, it is believed that manufacturers of personal watercraft have not provided any type of handle specifically designed for use by such a child.
The invention provides a grab handle for a child riding in front of the operator of a jet-propelled personal watercraft. Such a watercraft is characterized by having a hull defining an engine compartment sized to contain an internal combustion engine for powering the watercraft, the hull including a deck portion providing a passenger area containing controls operable by an operator in the passenger area, the deck portion having a raised, longitudinally extending seat adapted to accommodate at least two riders seated in straddle fashion. A jet propulsion unit is powered by the engine, the jet propulsion unit including a steerable water discharge nozzle. The controls include a set of handlebars operatively connected to the steerable water discharge nozzle to facilitate steering of the watercraft by the operator, the handlebars extending transversely with respect to the watercraft and having a center and a rotational axis extending through such center. A grab handle is mounted to the handlebars and extends from the handlebars in a direction toward the operator, the grab handle being generally centered on the handlebars"" axis of rotation.